Elastic optical networking (EON) provides for flexible bandwidth channels that match an allocated bandwidth with a traffic demand. For example, elastic optical networking provides for the changing of modulation format and/or symbol rate of a transmission. This allows the occupied bandwidth, which depends on the symbol rate, and reach of the transmission, to be changed. Elastic optical networking is described in Jinno et al “Spectrum-efficient and scalable elastic optical path network: architecture, benefits, and enabling technologies”, IEEE Communications Magazine, November 2009.
The Elastic optical network may control a spectrum allocation using a flexible grid, as described in Proietti et al “Adaptive Spectrum Control and Management in Elastic Optical Networks”, IEEE JSAC, January 2013.
Rate-tunable optical interfaces allow different optical line rates between working and protection paths, as described in Soso et al “Rate-Varying Optical Protection: Performance Analysis for Pre-planned Structured Data Traffic, proc. Fotonica (Milan, Italy) May 2013.
Elastic optical networking may provide for power saving, as described in Morea et al, “Datarate Adaptation for Night-Time Energy Savings in Core Networks” IEEE JLT March 2013. Elastic optical networking may provide for a reduction of, as described in Morea et al, “Efficiency gain from elastic optical networks”, Proc. of ACP November, 2011.
The prior art does not provide for fully utilizing the advantages of elastic optical networks.